They reached the airlock just as Lieutenant Lannier and his troopers got to the bottom of the boarding rank.
"Boy is he in a bad mood," Tahiri whispered.
Anakin gave her a reassuring glance, then stared hard at Lannier, as he strode half-way up the ramp. "Yes, Lieutenant?"
"Captain Solo," he announced, trying to look smug. "I'm going to have to ask you to hand over your crew for questioning. And since I don't speak Wookiee, I'll have to start with the cute blonde. I'm sure she knows how to be cooperative."
Anakin blinked, and gripped his pistol's hilt. Tahiri was deadly now, close at his side and eager for the signal to unleash herself at the Imperials.
But through the Force, they both knew that the moment wasn't right.
"You're lying," Anakin growled, staring hard at Lannier.
"I'm an Imperial officer," Lannier answered smugly. "I'm doing my duty."
Anakin sighed. It would be too easy to just shoot the kriffer.
"But you have no actual orders to conduct interrogations of my crew, right?"
Lannier hesitated at that, surprised that his authority had been countermanded. "I have every right to insist that you obey Imperial authority!"
In fact, the Imperial had no idea what he was doing - a fact which both young Jedi had seen clearly in the Force as soon as his confusion made him lose his mental focus. Humiliated by Jaina's use of the recognition code and the delay in new orders from the bridge, he was trying to restore his self-image by throwing his weight around, marching up to the Turtle with an itchy trigger finger and his stormtroopers' blasters still set for maximum power.
Anakin and Tahiri exchanged glances, trying not to let him see how easily they could read him.
In a way, Anakin wouldn't have objected to a straight fight like that - stun blasts were always harder to deflect or dissipate; but playing shockball with kill-shots in a hangar full of idiots meant that people were going to get hit.
"Captain, if you don't cooperate, I will be forced... I will be compelled to force my way aboard your ship."
"Fine."
He felt a certain grim satisfaction as he slammed his palm against the lock pad beside the door.
"So, what now?" Tahiri asked, as the hatch slammed down, and they were rewarded with a momentary glimpse of the Imperial Lieutenant's jackboots tripping backwards in an instinctive reaction to avoid the fast-moving metal.
Anakin looked at her, beautiful and perfect.
"I have a plan, like I said." Anakin pulled off his t-shirt. "It involves us taking off our clothes, too."
Tahiri grinned at him. "All your best plans do."